Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
An x-ray system typically includes an x-ray tube and a detector. The power and signals for the x-ray tube can be provided by a high voltage generator. The x-ray tube emits radiation, such as x-rays, toward an object. The object is positioned between the x-ray tube and the detector. The radiation typically passes through the object and impinges on the detector. As radiation passes through the object, structures of the object attenuate the radiation received at the detector. The detector then generates data based on the detected radiation, and the system translates the radiation variances into an image, which may be used to evaluate the structure of the object, such as a patient in a medical imaging procedure or an inanimate object in an inspection scan.
The x-ray tube includes a cathode and an anode. X-rays are produced in x-ray tubes by applying an electrical current to an emitter positioned within the cathode to cause electrons to be emitted from the cathode by thermionic emission. In a vacuum, the electrons accelerate towards and then impinge upon the anode due to the voltage difference between the cathode and the anode. When the electrons collide with a target on the anode, some of the energy is emitted as x-rays, and the majority of the energy is released as heat. The area on the anode in which the electrons collide is generally known as the focal spot. Because of high temperatures generated when the electron beam strikes the target, specifically the focal spot, the anode can include features to distribute the heat generated at the focal spot on the target, such as rotating a disc-shaped anode target at a high rotational speed. A rotating anode typically includes the disc-shaped anode target, which is rotated by an induction motor via a bearing assembly. The x-ray tube can also be enclosed by x-ray shielding material, such as lead, to keep other non-useful x-rays, such as back scatter x-rays, from being emitted from the system.
The radiation detector (e.g., x-ray detector) can include a conversion element that converts an incoming radiation beam into electrical signals, which can be used to generate data about the radiation beam, which in turn can be used to characterize an object being inspected (e.g., the patient or inanimate object). In one example, the conversion element includes a scintillator that converts a radiation beam into light, and a sensor that generates electrical signals in response to the light. The detector can also include processing circuitry that processes the electrical signals to generate data about the radiation beam.
The x-ray tube and radiation detector can be components in an x-ray system, such as a computed tomography (CT) system or scanner, which includes a gantry that rotates both the x-ray tube and the detector to generate various images of the object at different angles. Often, x-ray tubes are relatively heavy due to the materials used, such as lead (Pb) for x-ray shielding. Reducing the weight of x-ray tubes can reduce the strain on the gantry for CT applications and allow a user to manipulate the x-ray tube during an examination with greater ease.
The technology (systems, devices, and methods) described herein provides solutions to reduce the weight and improve the form factor of x-ray tubes.